An Unexpected Adventure
by theb3arjew
Summary: Trey wakes up and finds himself thrown into the middle of the third book of ATLA. As he begins to accept his new life, he wonders how he fits in this new, strange world. (Kataang) (many others/many other others)
1. A Brave New World

ZAP!

One second, Trey was laying on his bed, fighting to keep heavy eyelids open while attempting to prepare for a Latin exam that he would surely fail anyway.

The next, he found himself laying on a new bed, staring at a dark wood roof. Confused, he sat up and wondered whether he had finally figured out how to do that lucid dream thing that he always read about on Reddit. Now slightly excited, he imagined a world with no gravity, and he began flailing around, hoping to float around. Suddenly, the door opened, and a confused old woman walked through it.

"Are you alright there?" she asked as she stared into Trey's eyes.

"Um. I don't really know." Trey looked around the room again, this time taking in the details. The bed sheets were made of a material that he had never seen before, and the room did not have any electrical lights. Instead, several candles were strewn about. "Where am I?"

"You are in the Eastern Fire Nation, in a village called Yogan."

Trey's face dropped. Fire Nation? What was this lady talking about? Maybe I misheard her? No, he knew he hadn't. There had to be some kind of misunderstanding. Or…

No, that can't be. There had to be some explanation. Maybe his friends had played a prank on him. Or his brother. Oh it had to be his brother. Only Stephen could do something like this. Hell, Stephen was one of the few people who really knew about Trey's obsession with Avatar.

"This is some kind of prank, isn't it? Stephen must have set this all up. Where is that fucker?"

A man walked into the room, apparently having heard the last bit of conversation.

"Son, I don't know what kind of person is named Stephen, and I have no idea who you are, but we don't use that kind of language around here."

The man looked out the window and saw that the sun was quickly disappearing over the horizon. Sighing, he flicked two fingers out and pointed at the candles. Suddenly, fire shot out of his fingertips and lit the candles.

Trey's face somehow became even whiter than it had been before. Was that… firebending? It had to be. But that meant that, well, he wasn't on Earth anymore. Or he was on Earth, but a different Earth. A cartoon, fictional Earth.

Trey figured that he would process all of this later. For now, he had to figure out what the hell was going on. He looked up at the man and woman, who now stood next to each other at the foot of the bed.

"How did I get here?"

The woman began to speak, but the man cut her off and began speaking.

"We found you while we were out on our morning walk. You were unconscious in old Ryo's cornwheat field and running a fever. My wife convinced me to carry you back here to make sure you were alright."

Trey began to thank the couple, but he was quickly cut off by the man. Trey silently chucked, amused that the man seemed to like interrupting people.

"Why were you in that field?"

Trey wondered whether he should lie and come up with a story. He took a deep breath and shoved that thought out of his mind. He could tell the truth, that he didn't know. He didn't need to include that he was apparently from a different universe.

"I really don't know sir. I remember laying down in my bed, at home, and next thing I know, I'm in this bed, here."

"Where is home for you, son?"

Trey decided to start fabricating a story, or, as his friend always called it back home, squeeze out some bullshit. "Kyoshi Island."

The man gave him a look, and the woman spoke up.

"Kyoshi Island is an enemy of the Fire Nation."

Trey squinted, almost feeling physical pain as he realized his mistake.

The man then laughed.

"You really are lucky that we found you. I might be a firebender, but I owe that scumbag of a Fire Lord none of my loyalties. You're clearly not from Kyoshi Island, and I honestly don't care about that. But I do need some honesty from you. What is your name?"

"Trey."

"What kind of name is Trey?"

"It's actually a nickname. My real name is William Wesley Wright. Get it? Trey for the three W's. And for my basketball skills, of course."

"What is basketball? And that is the single strangest name I've ever heard."

"It's a game from where I come from."

There was a long silence. Now nervous, Trey decided to bring the thought they were all thinking to words.

"What are you guys going to do with me?"

The man collected his thoughts for a moment.

"You can stay here for now, until we figure out something else. You'll have to attend school though, and you'll need a new name."

"Thank you so much sir, but can I please still go by Trey?"

The man stared at him but Trey continued, "I really don't want to talk about where I'm from, but I don't think I'll ever be able to go back there. It's really the only thing I have left that reminds me of…"

Trey couldn't continue. It was really beginning to sink in. Something had happened, and he was probably never going to see his home again. His friends, family, everything. He would probably never make another YouTube video, or shoot a basketball, or drive a car.

The man saw that he was near tears, and began to speak, "I guess you can still go by Trey, but you need a new 'real' name. Trey will still have to be a nickname."

Trey brightened up a little bit and began to think. What name would be good? It had to be Asian sounding. Lee? No, he didn't like that, and it was too common anyway. Maybe he could go by the name of one of the main characters of the series. Aang? Suddenly, he knew.

"How about Kuzon?

"That sounds perfect. Get some rest, we need to get you enrolled in the school tomorrow morning."

"Before you go, what should I call both of you?"

The man chuckled. "I am Lee, and this is my wife, River."

"Thank you so much, Lee and River."

"Just go to sleep Trey."

Trey was already awake when Lee came in with a fresh set of clothing to wear to school. It looked a lot like Aang's school uniform from that Footloose episode, so he began putting it on according to memory. After he was done, he found his way to the kitchen.

The woman was in there. She stared at him and began to smile.

"Why are you wearing your belt on your head? And why is it upside down?"

Trey thought back to the episode and realized that Aang must have done that to cover his arrow.

"Um, err…"

"Just fix it. Lee is waiting outside."

Trey's face burned red as he fixed his outfit, and they began the walk to the school. Once inside, Lee and River posed as Trey's adoptive parents, and they filled out all of the paperwork. The principle told Trey to report to a room on the other side of the school.

As I walked in, the class became silent. It seemed like they expected him to do something. Bow, he remembered. He shaped his hands like the Fire Nation flame and bowed to his teacher, and she gestured for him to come stand next to her.

"What is your name, young pupil?"

"I'm Kuzon, but I usually go by Trey."

The teacher chuckled.

"I'm Mrs. Kwan. And normally we don't use nicknames, but another child named Kuzon just joined the class earlier today. So Trey it is. Please have a seat."

Trey shrugged, and looked for an empty seat. He glanced around the room and suddenly froze in plane. No. It couldn't be. How could he be here?

He was sitting only 3 rows away from where Kuzon was standing. He was fiddling with his coat, which had a strange bulge above his stomach. He had his belt on his head, and his sleeves over his hands, but it was still clear as day.

Somehow, someway, Trey was in the same room as Avatar Aang.

(A/N) Just an idea I had for a new series. In case it isn't clear, it starts up in the Book 3 episode "The Headband". It will end up being a rewrite of the end of Book 3 and all of the post-Avatar stuff. I'll still work on Aang's Journal, but I like writing with the third person perspective a little better. Let me know what you think, and as always, enjoy!


	2. A Fresh Start

Gulp.

Trey didn't know what he should do. On one hand, he always envisioned being best friends with a kid like Aang. They were both hyper, fun-loving, and adventurous, and both also had their own deep, dark issues. But on the other, would Trey interacting with Aang somehow break space and time? He really didn't know, but he couldn't let himself worry about it. His presence alone was going to change things anyway, so why not just blow the door down?

Trey gathered himself and walked down the aisle of desks. He took the empty seat next to Aang and opened the old-style wooden fixture to find a textbook, notebook, and some ink and quills for writing. He leaned toward Aang.

"Hey, uh, Kuzon? What page are we on?"

"28. But I think we're just about done with the book. Mrs. Kwan said that we were going to make noodle art soon!"

"Aren't we a little old for noodle art?" Trey asked, chuckling.

"You can never be too old for noodle art!" he replied with a goofy smile. "You look like you're my age, and I definitely still love playing with noodles."

"I'm 14."

"Oh, I'm nearly 13," Aang replied. "Although I have a 14 year old friend who also seems to forget that she's still a kid too."

Trey laughed, fully aware of the person Aang was referring to.

* * *

The rest of the day went by pretty smoothly. Aang and Trey got along really well, and by the end of the day, Aang considered Trey his friend. It had been so long since Aang had made a friend, well, as Aang. Right now, he wasn't the Avatar. He was just a normal kid, and he was having a great time. The two had subtly messed with their teachers throughout the day, and had played an incredible game of Hide and Explode after school dismissed. There was something… different about Trey. Aang couldn't put his finger on what it was, but there was definitely something off about him.

The smile that had crept onto Aang's face began to disappear when he realized that he would probably never see Trey again after his stint at the Fire Nation school came to an end. Part of him wanted to tell Trey everything, but he knew that he couldn't really trust a kid he just met yesterday. And that kid was part of the Fire Nation! Sokka would probably yell at him for even thinking about it.

Now in a bad mood, he said goodbye to his new friend and began the long walk back to their cave.

* * *

Once Aang got back, he felt the need to talk to somebody. He had already plead his case to return to the school the next day, and Sokka barely accepted that, so he was out of the question. Toph wouldn't balk at the idea, but she wasn't the most sentimental person, so she would probably shrug him off too. That left either Appa, Momo, or Katara. And despite his many wishes, neither of his animal companions could talk, so he went to go find Katara.

He found her sitting in a corner in the back of the cave.

"Katara, what are you doing back here?"

"I was just thinking. Sokka might have laughed it off, but you had a good point back there. You deserve to be a normal kid every once in a while. Me and Sokka, our childhood ended when, when…"

"You don't have to say it, Katara."

There were now tears leaking out of the corners of her eyes.

"Being the Avatar doesn't have to ruin yours."

Aang just walked up and hugged her tightly. They just sat there in each other's arms for a few moments, the contact calming both of them.

Aang eventually pulled away and broke the silence.

"That's actually kinda why I came looking for you. I wanted some advice about something."

"Sure."

"I made a friend at school today, and I hate lying to him about who I am. I know that you guys are my friends and all…"

"But you want a guy friend who's your age."

"Yeah, well, kind of. You guys always knew I was different, even before you thought I was the Avatar. I mean, I was a bald monk with an arrow on his head who could do something that hadn't been seen in a 100 years! Trey just knows me as a normal person, and we still became friends in less than a day."

"Do you trust him?"

"I don't really know why, but yeah, I do."

"Then tell him. Just don't tell Sokka until after you do it."

Aang produced the biggest smile Katara had seen on his face since that fateful day in Ba Sing Se.

Katara smiled along with him and added to her own tip.

"It's usually easier to seek forgiveness than permission."

* * *

While Aang and Katara had their discussion, Trey was back in the village, talking with some of his classmates around a fountain in the town square. It was already dark out, but none of the students wanted to leave. They had played Hide and Explode all afternoon, and while some people (like Aang) had left after the games ended, other stayed behind and got to know one of their new classmates.

Trey had never been a good liar, so he tried to keep his story simple. When asked where he was from, he told them the colonies. When they asked why he was here, he said that he lost his family and he was staying with some old family friends. After that, there was an awkward silence.

On Ji, who Trey recognized from the series, broke the eerie quiet.

"Why do you go by Trey?"

Trey thought for a moment, then started smiling.

"Where I'm from, we play this game called Basketball. There's a lot of rules and stuff, but the basic goal is to put the ball in the other team's goal. Most shots are worth two points, but shots from really far away are worth three. People call them treys sometimes. I'm really good at those shots, so people started calling me that, too." Trey could barely contain himself. His friends back home would laugh in his face for the explanation he just gave.

Another kid, who Trey didn't recognize, stood up.

"I have to leave now, but you should show us that game sometime."

"Sure. We need to find a bouncy ball about this big." Trey held out his hands and estimated the size of a basketball. "Then we just need some wood to make the goals. We could do it this weekend."

Everybody nodded and seemed excited to try out this new game. Soon though, most of the crowd dispersed. After a while, only Trey, On Ji, and one of her friends remained. The two girls whispered for a moment, then On Ji's friend stood up and announced that they would all go for a walk.

Trey happily obliged, and the three began walking around. The friend seemed to stay strangely quiet, so On Ji decided to start a conversation.

"So how are you liking it here so far?"

Trey frowned for a moment, then realized that she meant this town, not the world.

"It's great here. The people are friendly and it's fun to hang out with the school crowd. But the teachers all seem like they have a pole up there asses."

On Ji laughed.

"Yeah that sounds like a pretty fair assessment. Are you moving here for good?"

Trey shrugged.

"I hadn't really thought about it, but I guess so. I don't really have anywhere else to go."

At this point, Trey looked around and realized that On Ji's friend had disappeared.

Suddenly realizing that he was alone with a pretty girl, he started to get nervous.

"You know, um, it's getting kinda late. I feel bad keeping you out so long."

To his surprise, On Ji blushed.

"No, it's alright. I'm having a great time."

Trey was confused. Didn't the On Ji from the show have a boyfriend? And even if she didn't, was she really interested in him? The dude from the show was definitely a tool, so he didn't feel bad about making a move, but why would a girl like Trey? He had never even kissed a girl before, let alone gone out with one.

Trey thought for a minute. His old life had been a pretty boring one. He didn't really have many friends, he hadn't done that well in school, and he was a pretty average person. But he was given a chance at a new life, and at that moment, he decided to take advantage.

He looked over at On Ji and held out his hand. On Ji took it, and they walked off, heading nowhere in particular.

* * *

(A/N) Row yer row yer, uh ship. Yeah, that idea was much better in my head, but this chapter begins kicking off some of the relationships that will build throughout the series. I also quietly began to put some plot pieces into action. Trey's whole experience has been really smooth so far. In fact, maybe too smooth…

Hehehe dat artificial cliffhanger tho! Anyway, be sure to review, and enjoy!


	3. Valleys and Peaks

CLUNK!

Trey had tried to close the gate slowly, but the spring-loaded hinge had slammed it shut anyway. He cringed a little bit, but he shook it off and took a few quick steps to catch up to On Ji.

They had been walking around for about 2 hours, just talking and enjoying each other's company. Neither of them had planned it, but they ended up right in front of On Ji's house. As the pair approached the front door, Trey began to frown. He truly had a terrific time over the course of the night, and it was now coming to a close.

They both walked up the front steps, still holding hands. On Ji turned to face Trey.

"I really had a great time tonight, Trey."

"I did too," Trey replied, suddenly feeling extremely awkward. "We should, uh, do this again some time." He tried to put on a cocky smile, but it just ended up being his normal, goofy grin.

On Ji smiled and nodded her head. She couldn't find the words she wanted to say. She started blushing furiously.

Trey saw this and asked, "Is something wrong?" He was now nervous that he had unknowingly done something wrong.

On Ji looked back up at Trey. She still couldn't say anything, but she wanted him to know that he most definitely hadn't. She was having a terrific time, and she wanted him to know that. There was something about Trey that really drew her in. Even though they had just met, she trusted him completely. He was goofy and fun, but he was also extremely smart and clever, although he seemed to try to hide that. The more she thought about him, the more her heart started to flutter.

All at once, she decided to stop fighting it. She turned to face Trey, placed both of her hands in his, and kissed him.

Trey didn't know how to react. For a heartbeat, he just stood there in shock, but once he processed what was happened, he began to return the kiss. A wave of elation rolled through his entire body. The kiss seemed to last forever, but eventually, they separated to catch their breath.

They both began to feel very, very awkward again. With burning faces and racing heartbeats, they wished each other goodnight and On Ji went inside. Trey quickly walked down the steps, out the gate, and around the corner.

As soon as he saw that he was clear of her house, he let out a cheer. He had kissed a girl! And a girl that he genuinely liked, too! Trey had his fair share of little crushes in his old life, but he had never felt THIS strongly about somebody before.

Despite these wonderful feelings coursing through his body, there was a small voice in the back of his head, constantly reminding him that he had just kissed a cartoon character.

Trey decided, once and for all, to shut that little voice up. Right now, this was his life. He was in this world, and he would do whatever he wanted. On Ji may be a cartoon character somewhere else, but here, she was a wonderful girl, and he was falling for her.

* * *

Aang woke up the next day feeling slightly nervous. He planned on telling Trey who he was today, but he had no idea how to do it. And while he trusted that Trey wouldn't tell anybody else about "Kuzon's" true identity, he was worried that his new friend would turn against his nation's most wanted enemy.

The day carried on much like the previous one. Aang and Trey turned a boring old school day into a day of excitement and laughter. They went from class to class, constantly talking and joking around, much to the chagrin of their teachers. Despite being the newest kids in the school, they quickly became popular, and by the end of the day, a crowd gathered around them as they talked in the courtyard after school ended.

"It's almost like the people here don't know how to have any fun!" Aang stated, looking around at the group that awkwardly stood around them. "We should have some kind of party! Then they'd all be forced to have a good time!"

Trey laughed, thinking about the dancing episode.

"Let's do it! We could have a dance party."

Aang smiled and continued Trey's thought.

"And I know exactly where we could host it! I just gotta go talk to some people to get it all planned out."

As Aang started to walk away, a large kid quickly approached Trey.

"HEY! YOU! WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU"RE DOING?!"

Trey stared at the shouting kid, slightly confused.

"What are you talking about? I was just here talking to my friend."

"I SAW YOU WITH ON JI! MY GIRLFRIEND!"

Uh oh. Trey had been right about On Ji last night. Yes, she did have a boyfriend, and yes, he was a tool.

Suddenly, the kid, who Trey thought was called Hide, attacked.

Hide lunged forward and threw a long, winding right hook. Trey easily ducked around the punch, and he rolled into a fighting stance. This surprised Trey, as he had never even fought somebody before. Why was he able to do that?

Hide continued his attack, despite Trey's constant protests that he didn't want to fight. Hide lunged again, this time trying to tackle him. Trey placed his hand on Hide's shoulder and pushed, forcing his opponent off balance. Hide crashed into the dirt, and rolled over to reveal two fresh gashes on his upper arm and shoulder. Hide stayed down, nursing his fresh wounds, as Aang walked up next to his friend. Suddenly, a deep voice began to speak.

"First you consistently disrupt my class, and now you pick a fight with my star pupil." The school's principle hurried over to check on Hide. "I want to speak to your parents for a conference. Both of you."

Aang gulped. He didn't have any parents. Well, he probably did, but they weren't here, and he had never known them.

While Aang panicked about the conference, Trey was still reeling from the "fight". He hadn't seen On Ji all day, so he figured that Hide must be neighbors with On Ji, or something along those lines. But that wasn't was he was worried about. He wanted to know how he did what he just did. It's not like he kung fu'd him or anything, but he had clearly and decisively embarrassed a person who had obviously been in fights before. Trey had never been in a fight before, and he had never even really wanted to fight anybody. In fact, he always tried to prevent and break up fights. Now that he thought about it, Trey figured that he was a pacifist.

But why was he able to do that? Why did time seem to slow down for him during that fight? Why was he able to predict what Hide was doing, and counter it perfectly?

Aang's words pulled him out of his whirling thoughts.

"Come on Trey, let's get out of here."

Aang pulled his friend along. Trey was still almost in a stupor.

"You've never been in a fight before, have you?"

Trey blinked a couple times at his friend before processing the question.

"No, not even close. I usually prevent and break up fights."

"You were pretty good out there though. You could have fooled me!"

"I know. I'm just trying to figure out WHY I was good."

Aang looked confused.

"What do you mean?"

"I've never been in a fight before. Hell, I've never even trained or did karate or anything like that. Why was I able to do that?" As Trey spoke, he began to sound angry. He had thought that he finally had his new life figured out, but what happened in that fight, it wasn't normal. He knew it couldn't be.

"Trust me, I know the feeling," Aang started. "I've had, err, similar things happen." Aang paused, ready to continue but trying to find a way to compare the Avatar State to what happened today but without actually calling it the Avatar State, but Trey interrupted him.

"I know, I know, it's just, well, I'm a normal kid."

Aang stared at him a second and Trey's faced turned white.

"And I'm not?"

Trey considered trying to dig himself out of the hole he had just fallen into, but he decided against it. He genuinely wanted there to be no lies between himself and Aang. He needed a best friends, and if Aang was up to it, he would accept what he was about to say.

"Look, um." Trey tried to figure out what to say. "I know that you're not. You're just like me, you don't fit here."

Aang relaxed for a second, thinking his secret was safe, even though he was planning on telling Trey later anyway.

But Trey continued.

"Aang, I know who you are."

Aang's mouth dropped. How did Trey know?

He kept going.

"I'm not who I said I was, either. Just like you, I don't belong here."

Aang finally spoke.

"Well yeah, you're clearly not from the Fire Nation if you're not attacking me right now."

"Well, I guess that's true, but it's more than that. I'm not from, well, um… I'm not from this time or place, just like you."

Aang just stared at him. Trey wanted him to say something, anything.

"Aang…"

"Just go away Trey, if that's even your name."

"What?! Come on man we're still…"

Aang cut him off.

"I thought, finally, I had made a normal friend. Somebody who was just friends with Aang. Not The Last Airbender, or The Avatar, but just me. Aang. But no, you knew all along, and even worse, you tricked me into thinking you didn't know!"

"Aang, look…"

"Just go away."

* * *

(A/N) Oooooooh we have some drama now! This one came out a little rough around the edges. It doesn't really fit in with my writing style, but I needed a lot of, well, stuff to happen in this chapter. There's no way I can keep up this release schedule, but I do have some more down time today so I might be able to churn out the next chapter soon. As always, I love seeing feedback, so review or PM me with your thoughts! I'm still trying to learn how to do this whole writing thing, so any criticism or help or tips or whatever else you can say is welcome. Anyway, hope ya enjoyed!


	4. And the Beat Goes On

Trey was hurting, both emotionally and physically. Emotionally, he was a whirlwind of sadness, anger, and just sheer disappointment from his conversation with Aang. Physically, well, it turned out that On Ji missed school that day with the Flu, and he was feeling the familiar headache and body soreness as his body began to fight the virus off.

Still though, he wanted to fix things with Aang. Trey was confused by Aang's hostility toward him, but he did somewhat understand his point. At the same time, it wasn't like Aang hadn't lied to him, and Aang had plenty of friends now that genuinely enjoyed being with him. Trey didn't know what to do, but he knew that the first step was getting out of bed and going to class.

Trey knew that he probably shouldn't be anywhere near the school in the state he was in, but he went anyway. He had only been friends with Aang for a few days, but he was already the closest friend that Trey had ever had. It was worth the suffering. Plus, there was always the hope that Aang had forgiven him already. He was a monk, after all.

* * *

Aang returned to the house-cave after his, err, discussion with Trey to find everybody circled around the fire waiting for him.

Katara stood up and faced Aang.

"So, how did it go with your friend?"

Aang looked at her, over to Sokka and Toph, and back at her.

"You told them?"

Sokka decided that it was his turn to voice his opinion.

"It's dumb to tell somebody about you being The Avatar, especially a kid from the Fire Nation, but sometimes you just have to do dumb things."

Katara chuckled.

"You would certainly be the expert on that, Sokka."

Sokka let out his signature voice cracky growl grunt thing and went to go fume by himself in the back of the cave.

"So, how did it go?"

Aang sighed.

"He already knew who I was."

"How? That's horrible. He much have been with the Fire Nation Army. Like a spy or something."

"No, he just, well, knew. It came up accidentally in a conversation."

"Did you ask him how he knew?"

Aang looked at his feet.

"He tried to explain but I kept cutting him off. I ended up just leaving him there without letting him say anything."

Toph finally decided to speak up.

"That's a little cold there, Twinkletoes."

Aang suddenly got angry.

"What do you mean, cold? He lied to me. I thought he was a real friend, but instead, he lied."

Katara gave Toph a look, and Toph waved her hand in front of her face, reminding Katara that she couldn't see what she was trying to wordlessly say.

Katara sighed.

"Toph, can you leave us alone? And Aang, didn't you lie to him too? I mean, you told him that you were Kuzon."

Toph grumbled and went to go bother Sokka. Aang looked like he was on the verge of a temper tantrum. It was moments like this that reminded Katara that Aang really was only 12, despite all of his other qualities.

"That's different!"

Katara let out another sigh.

"It's really not that different. I don't know what happened or what was said, but you should at least think about that. Maybe he really did just want to be your friend, and he was just in a weird situation. Just keep that in mind."

With that, Katara walked out of the front of the cave, more wanting to leave than heading to any place in particular. Aang was left alone to think.

* * *

The next morning, Trey could hardly move. He had gotten the Flu before, but he had always taken medication for it. He was really missing that right now. Still, he had to fight through it. He had to fix things with Aang.

After a long, tortuous walk to school, Trey arrived in his classroom immediately before school started. He quickly (or as quickly as his stiff joints would allow him) took his seat next to Aang. Aang didn't say a word, but there wasn't hostility in his eyes like there was the previous day. Trey took that as a good sign, but before he could say something, the teacher walked in and began class.

Trey couldn't do anything resembling schoolwork with his headache, so he did his best to make it look like he was paying attention. Aang quickly saw through the act though, and approached him in the hallway after their first class.

"Trey, you really don't look good."

"Wow, thanks for the compliment," Trey replied with a smile. "I'll be fine."

Aang simply shrugged his shoulders and walked away towards his next class.

The rest of the day followed the same pattern. Aang acknowledged Trey, but he didn't show any emotion to him, warm or cold. Aang was, however, his same cheery self toward everybody else, and he continued planning his after school dance party. It seemed like nobody knew what a dance party was, but they were all curious and promised to attend.

When school let out, Aang went to the courtyard to talk to Trey. It was time for him to let his former friend explain himself. He spotted Trey leaning against a wall in the corner. As he began to walk over, he felt a strong hand on his shoulder.

"Are you ready for your parent-teacher conference? Where are your parents?"

He had forgotten about the conference! He gulped and began to panic.

"I thought as much. If I don't see your parents BEFORE school tomorrow morning, you will be sent to reform school. And by reform school, I mean the coal mines." The principle then spoke up. "The same goes for you, Trey."

Trey nervously nodded. He had also forgotten about the conference, and he hadn't told his "parents" about the fight. Still, the thought of Sokka wearing a moustache and taking on the Wang Fire persona kept his panic under control. He had always loved that scene in the TV series.

Aang walked over to Trey and began to speak.

"Look, Trey, I'm sorry I got angry at you without letting you explain yourself yesterday."

Trey looked up at Aang with a happy spark in his eyes.

"And I'm sorry for lying. So, are we, you know, good?"

"No. I'm just giving you the chance to explain yourself." Aang kept a totally straight face. It reminded Trey of how Aang looked in the TV show when he had given up hope on the Serpent's Pass.

"At least it's something," Trey muttered, half to himself. "I can't really talk about it here though. Do you want to go find a private place?"

"Nah, I have to go set up for the dance. We can talk later, or tomorrow."

Trey looked disappointed.

"Alright. I really am sorry though, Aang."

* * *

Trey was determined to talk to Aang at the dance party, but his body was beginning to fail him. His thoughts were turning feverish, and his joints had pretty much locked up at this point. As he struggled up the steps to his room, Lee and River walked by and saw him.

"Trey, you look horrible!" River stated.

Trey didn't turn around.

"Thanks."

Lee walked up to him and grabbed his shoulder.

"Come down to the kitchen. I'll make you some tea."

"I don't think a cup of tea will help me at this point."

Lee smiled.

"Trust me, this tea will. My boss at work is obsessed with everything tea, and I've picked up a couple of things."

With that, Lee dragged Trey into the kitchen and prepared the tea. As soon as it was ready, Lee handed a cup to Trey. He took a cautious sip. It was warm and sweet, and the warmth seemed to spread through his body. He began gulping it down.

"That man really is a genius." Lee chuckled. "The effects only last a couple of hours but you should feel pretty good while it's active. I'll make some for you right before you sleep tonight, too."

"Thank you so much, Lee."

Trey cleaned up after himself and nearly sprinted to his room. He had to get ready for the dance party!

After he was ready to go, he realized that he had no idea where the party was. He remembered that it took place in the cave, but he had no idea where the cave was. After standing in the doorway for a few minutes, going over his options, he decided to head to On Ji's house. It was a dance party, after all, maybe she was feeling up to going. Besides, maybe she knew where the cave was.

Her house was only a few minutes' walk from Trey's place, so he got there pretty quickly. He went up and knocked on the door. After a moment, a middle-aged woman answered the door.

"Can I help you?"

Trey stood there awkwardly for a second.

"Yeah, uh, is On Ji around?"

The woman smiled and nodded. She disappeared around the corner, and he heard her call for On Ji.

"On Ji, there's a cute boy at the door!"

Trey could almost hear her blushing, and he felt his cheeks heat up as well. After a minute or two, she showed up at the door.

"Hey Trey. What's up?"

"I heard you had the Flu. How are you feeling?"

"Yesterday was rough, but I'm feeling a lot better now. At least you didn't catch it!"

"Um I kinda did," Trey laughed. "My dad gave me this awesome tea that made me feel better."

"That sounds amazing! I wish I had that yesterday."

"Yeah, it was rough earlier, but I'm feeling great now. Anyway, did you hear about Aang's dance party?"

"Yup. My friend stopped by to check up on me and she mentioned it."

"Would you, maybe, want to go? With me?" Trey sputtered out.

On Ji laughed.

"Sure Trey. I'd love to go."

Trey's face lit up.

"Sweet! One problem though. I kinda don't know where it is."

"Don't worry. My friend told me earlier. It's in the cave out by Old Ryo's farm."

"Huh." Trey wondered where he had heard that name before.

"Is something wrong?" On Ji questioned.

"No, it's nothing. You ready to go?"

"I need to pick out a dress or something."

"No, it's a DANCE party. You need to be able to dance. Besides, you look great in what you're wearing."

Trey's cocky smile was back on his face, and he grabbed hold of On Ji's hand and practically dragged her along.

It took them about a half hour to reach the cave. Sokka was at the door greeting people, but Trey wasn't supposed to recognize him. As they walked up, hand in hand, Sokka called out.

"Welcome welcome to the beautiful couple! Please, have some punch and hit the dance floor!"

Trey nervously nodded, partially star-struck. He didn't have time to process anything when he first saw Aang, but now, he had time to think about it. He was meeting these characters, huge figures in his childhood, and he had no idea how to react.

He tried to shove those thoughts away and focus on the party. The band was playing a wonderful, fast paced song with a pounding bassline. Aang was dancing on the dance floor, but everybody else was just standing around. Nobody knew what to do.

Trey pulled On Ji onto the dance floor and asked her to dance.

"Trey, I don't really know how to dance."

"Come on, everybody knows how to dance. You just haven't remembered yet!"

With that, Trey trotted out to the center of the dance floor and began to, well, dance. He started out with the standard white guy dance, bouncing his body to the beat and shuffling his feet in some semblance of a pattern, but he began to expand his dance as he gained confidence. Suddenly, Aang showed up next to him and began doing a crazy side-to-side hopping dance. Trey saw this and began to copy it.

"Come on, On Ji! Come dance!" Trey yelled over the music.

On Ji shrugged her shoulders and skipped out onto the dance floor. She began to imitate Trey's movements, and after a couple awkward steps, they were dancing. Trey looked over his shoulder and saw Aang bouncing from group to group, showing off various dance moves. After a couple minutes, the dance floor was packed.

Trey and On Ji weren't really dancing any particular dance, but they were having a great time. They swung each other around and spun one another until they were dizzy. On Ji could hardly stop laughing, and Trey seemed to have a big goofy grin tattooed to his face.

Trey looked over and saw Aang talking to Katara, and his smile grew even wider as he remember what would come next. Just like in the show, he saw Aang take Katara's hand and bring her to the center of the floor. After a moment, they broke out into a wonderful, acrobatic dance.

After it was over, On Ji broke out in applause.

"That was amazing!"

Trey smiled.

"I might not be able to do anything quite like that, but I can sure as hell try!"

On Ji grinned and they lined up next to Aang and Katara, who were seemingly on their own planet. They danced for an eternity, trying (and mostly failing) do mimic the acrobatic stunts that Aang and Katara had pulled off. After a while, Trey's attempts became closer and closer to the stunts they were based on. Suddenly, he pulled On Ji over his head and placed her behind him and proceeded to do a backflip over her, landing directly facing her. The crowd erupted, but Trey could hardly hear them. He and On Ji's eyes were locked together, and their faces were drifting ever so slowly together.

"HEY!"

Trey and On Ji were suddenly interrupted by a man yelling. The party had been busted! Trey knew that it would be, but he had entirely forgotten. Still, he didn't remember it going down like this.

There were men and soldiers combing through the children. They didn't know Aang was the Avatar, so why were there soldiers involved? Suddenly, one of them called out.

"There she is! There's the Runaway!"

Trey looked around and saw Toph standing in the corner with a shocked look on her face. She quickly snapped out of it though, and she went to work fighting off her attackers. Despite Toph being their target, some of soldiers began to surround the rest of the Gaang, as they were recognized as accomplices.

In a normal situation, the Gaang would easily win a fight like this. But they were trapped in a cave and surrounded by innocent kids. Most of their bending wasn't precise enough to avoid hurting people in the crossfire. Fire, however, could be very precise if there was nothing flammable around. The soldiers began their attack, and they quickly began to surround the Gaang.

Trey knew he had to do something, but he didn't know what. He couldn't bend, and he wasn't exactly an expert fighter. And, because fate apparently hated him, he could feel his fever returning. Whatever medicine was in that tea was beginning to wear off.

He glanced over and saw Aang struggling to fight off his opponents. Unlike the rest of the group, he wasn't able to use his bending. Nobody knew that the Avatar was still alive, and airbending at all would reveal that fact to a bunch of soldiers and a few dozen Fire Nation students. He still didn't have a plan, but Trey couldn't just stand there any longer. He turned to On Ji.

"On Ji, I need to go. I'm sorry."

Before she could respond, he took off sprinting toward Aang. As he was running, something again clicked inside of him. He suddenly knew what to do. He picked one of the soldiers and launched himself into a flying punch, connecting with the back of the unsuspecting soldiers head. Before anybody else knew what was happening, he turned and pushed the crumpling man into his allies, before jumping over his fleshy distraction and kicking the closest soldier. His kick didn't land anywhere important, but it did stun its target. As he was doing this, Aang went to work.

Aang might not have been able to airbend, but he was still incredibly agile. He dodged attack after attack, and he used some waterbending forms to transfer their energy into his advantage. As he ducked under one soldier, he pushed up, launching him into the punch table and rendering him useless.

Trey continued his frantic attack, but the fever was beginning to bog him down. He whiffed on a spinning kick and a fireblast found his back. He grunted in pain but didn't give up. He tackled the source of the fireblast and landed a right hook the man's cheekbone. He looked up and saw that only two soldiers were left standing in this area of the cave. In fact, there were only two soldiers left in the entire cave. All of the kids, and any remaining soldiers and teachers, had run away.

Trey stood up and got into a fighting stance, prepared to take on one of the soldiers. The man was wearing metal gloves and some kind of metal helmet with a facemask that reminded Trey of a weird Asian looking Knight's helmet. He began to launch himself into a kick, but a wave of dizziness overcame him, and he stumbled to the side of his opponent. While he was off balance, the soldier wound up and threw a massive right hook. The metal glove connected with the side of Trey's head, and he crumpled to the ground.

Aang watched this course events take place in slow motion. He saw Trey stumble, as if he had simply forgotten what he was doing, and he saw the metal sink into his skull.

It took every ounce of control in his body to not enter the Avatar State. Before he could react, a boomerang flew into his field of vision. It curved and sliced through the air, and it clanked into its target. The armored soldier took an unsure step forward and collapsed to the ground. Aang ran over to Trey, who was still on the ground, completely still.

Tears filled his eyes as he looked back up toward his friends.

"Please. Help."

(A/N) This chapter beat the living shit out of me. The beginning of it was really clunky, which kills me and my OCD, and I just couldn't find a way to concisely end the chapter. It's over 3000 words! I've never even come close to hitting 3k words in a chapter. Either way, the ending should set up the next few chapters pretty well, and there are definitely a few cliffhangers. What happened to On Ji? Why were the soldiers looking for the Runaway? Is Trey OK? Well, that's not really much of a cliffhanger. We all know Trey is OK. He's the fucking main character. Oh well, I tried to be dramatic. Anyway, enjoy the chapter, and be sure to review!


	5. Storytime

For the second time in his recent memory, Trey woke up in an unfamiliar bed. Well, actually, it was a sleeping bag this time around, but that wasn't the point. Either way, he figured it was time to figure out where he was this time. He was kind of hoping for a Star Wars world. He had always liked Star Wars.

As Trey began to sit up, a sharp pain spasmed throughout his entire body. He yelped in pain, and immediately returned to his original position, but it hardly helped. Now that he was aware of the pain, his whole body hurt. He couldn't seem to pinpoint the source of the pain, but it was certainly making its presence known.

"I think I heard something from Trey's tent."

Trey heard a voice outside of the tent. A couple of seconds later, Sokka's head poked through the door flap. He made eye contact with Trey and then smiled, and Trey heard him calling out to the rest of the group.

"Katara! Aang! Trey's up! He's gonna need some help."

He heard a whooshing sound outside of the tent, and the entire tent nearly lifted off the ground. Almost immediately afterward, Aang entered the tent.

"Rise and shine, sleepy head!"

Aang said the line innocently enough, but it sparked a flashback in Trey's battered head. Images of his mother, his real mother, and various other memories of home flooded through his head. He had never experienced anything like this, and he groaned at the headache quickly filling his skull. Black spots began filling his vision, and he began to slip back into unconsciousness.

That is, until Katara walked in, saw what was happening, and went to work. She pulled some water out of a bowl next to his bed and bent it around her hands. They began to glow, and she placed them on Trey's temples. After a moment, Trey opened his eyes again, and both Katara and Aang breathed a huge sigh of relief.

Trey sat up, and this time, the pain was more of a dull, thudding ache.

"What the hell happened?"

Sokka picked this precise moment to enter the tent, and he began to talk.

"Well, apparently Aang met you at this school, and you became friends, and then you weren't friends anymo…"

Trey interrupted him.

"I remember all of that stuff. Why am I here though? And why does it feel like a herd of cows stampeded over me?"

The group stared at him with raised eyebrows. Katara voiced their confusion.

"Cows? Do you mean hippo-cows?"

Sokka spoke next.

"Or maybe koala-cows?"

Trey just shook his head and smiled, remembering a similar joke from the show. Something to do with a bear, he thought.

Aang broke the cycle of animal suggestions.

"Trey, what do you remember?"

"Um… I remember dancing with On Ji. We were about to kiss, and then I woke up here."

Katara pondered that for a moment.

"Oh, that's probably when the fever kicked in. You got very sick, very quickly."

Trey blushed lightly and looked away.

"I was kinda already sick. Lee gave me this tea that made me feel better for a little while." Trey thought for a moment. "So was that it? I was about to kiss On Ji and I passed out?"

Aang shook his head.

"A bunch of soldiers stormed the cave, looking for "The Runaway". Apparently Toph was out scamming people while I was at school."

Trey nodded, but then a thought came to him. Didn't The Runaway come well after the dancing episode? His head hurt too much to think about it.

"So I passed out in shock or something?"

Sokka spoke before anybody else could.

"No, THAT was probably from the giant metal fist that hit you in the head."

Katara shook her head in disbelief.

"SOKKA! I thought we were going to tell him slowly, in detail!" Then she turned to Trey. "The soldiers thought the rest of us were accomplices, and they tried to arrest us. Sokka, Toph, and I managed to fight them off, but Aang couldn't use his bending, and he was separated from the group. He was surrounded, and you went over to help him."

Sokka's face lit up.

"OOOOOH! Let me tell this part!" He paused for effect. "You flew in and started doing these crazy flying kicks and punches. You beat up almost all of them, until your Flu started restricting you. That's when the one guy landed the sucker punch. Where did you learn to fight like that? It was amazing!"

Trey wore a confused look on his face.

"I did that? I don't know how to fight. I've only ever been in one fight, and Aang was there! I can't do any of that stuff!"

The look on the rest of their faces confirmed that yeah, he had done all of that stuff. Trey thought back to the first fight, with On Ji's dickhead of an ex, and to his dance with On Ji. He remember that feeling of recognition, almost like something was clicking into place inside of him, and then he didn't remember much. It almost felt like he was watching himself from the third person. He was still in control, but it was like he was controlling a character through, well, a controller. He hadn't really recognized that at the time, but it was the same each time.

He thought back to the many hours he had practiced basketball. He would spend days practicing moves, shots, and dribbles, and when gametime came around, he wouldn't have to think about actually utilizing them. He would just, well, do them.

That's what the feeling was like, except he had never done those things before. He had taken karate classes for a month or so when he was 8, but all he learned from that was the chicken kick and that cool looking thing from the end of The Karate Kid.

Now was not the time to think about it though, and Aang all but confirmed that when he spoke.

"Trey, we're all glad to see that you're OK, and we owe you for what you did to help us, but we need to the truth about you. Who are you? And how do you know who I am?"

"I actually know who all of you are!" Trey said, trying to keep the mood light. After he saw the dry reaction of the group, a grim look appeared on his face, and he began his story.

"Alright, so I don't know if you guys are going to believe me, but here it goes."

And he told them everything. He told them how his real name was William Wesley Wright, and how he hated that name so much that he happily accepted the name "Trey" when a 1st grade teacher came up with it. He told them how his home didn't have any bending, and how the average person didn't know any real survival skills. He told them about how he knew who they were, how they were characters in a story.

"The problem is, I know how the story ends. Or at least, I thought I did. But it seems like it's changing. I think me being here is actually changing things."

Aang asked the question that everybody was thinking.

"So, how does it end? What ends up happening?"

Trey sighed.

"I don't think I should tell you, and honestly, at this point, I'm not even sure." Trey wasn't really lying about this, either. Ever since he had gotten here, his memory of the events of Avatar had been slowly getting worse and worse. It was almost like something was going through his head and deleting memories. He knew that they should be there, but they weren't. It was almost like he was browsing a folder, and when he clicked on the file name, it told him that the file did not exist.

He knew that Aang and Katara would end up together, and that the story generally ended up happy, but he was beginning to forget a lot of the details. Oh, and Zuko was important too. That much he knew. But he was worried that telling them those details would somehow cause them to not happen. Maybe if Aang knew that he would end up with Katara, he wouldn't do a lot of the stuff that made her fall for him, and they wouldn't end up being together.

"I don't want to break space and time, so I'm not going say the stuff that I do know."

Sokka laughed.

"What, are you worried about breaking the circle of time?"

Trey smiled, thinking back to one of his favorite TV shows.

"Time isn't a circle. It's more like a big ball of timey whi… ah screw it. Either way, it's too much of a risk, and I think the fact that I'm forgetting this stuff is a sign that I shouldn't tell you guys it."

Sokka's face became serious for a second.

"Prove it."

Katara looked at him.

"What?"

"He heard me. Prove it. How do we know that you're not making this up? Tell us something that you wouldn't know otherwise."

Trey thought for a moment. He had to think of some harmless secrets that he wouldn't otherwise know.

"Ok, here it goes. I know that Aang got captured while he was looking for frozen frogs for you to suck on when you were sick. I know what happened in the Cave of Two Lovers, _everything_ that happened in the Cave of Two Lovers. Oh and I know all of your crushes. I can tell them to you in private if you want proof of that."

Sokka stroked his make-believe beard, wishing he still had actually purchased the fake moustache he saw in the Fire Nation village.

"That should suffice."

Trey looked around for a minute.

"So, what are you guys going to do with me? Am I cool with everybody?" He stared at Aang while asking the second question.

Everybody stayed quiet, obviously in thought, so Trey continued.

"I mean, I don't really know how to fight, I can't bend, and I don't have much experience doing, well, any of this stuff."

Sokka spoke first.

"So we'll teach you that stuff. You saved us earlier, and you could definitely help us out. Welcome to The Boomeraang Squad!"

Katara and Aang groaned at the mention of the name. Aang then smiled and looked at Trey.

"Yeah, we're good. Welcome to Team Avatar."

Toph then barged into the tent, demanding to know what "filth" Trey could pull on Toph.

The entire group, Trey included, laughed, and the new Gaang began bonding.

* * *

(A/N) Lots of dialogue in this chapter, and its only one scene, and nothing really happens, and… Well, I could go on all day. This was important chapter though, and it closed out the first couple storylines pretty nicely. Please feel free to shoot me some suggestions in the review! Other than a few major things, I don't really plan these things out, so if you have an idea, let me know. Also, thank you so much for the reviews and favorites. It's great to see this thing starting to gain some attention. Like I said in some of my review replies, I mostly just write this to relax and flex my tiny, underused creative muscles, but the fact that people actually read this thing makes it all the better.

Anyway, that's a long enough Author's Note. It's almost like I want to get this thing to 2k words. No, I won't do it. Going from a 3k chapter to a 2k chapter is just too much. So, fuck you word count. You don't get to cross that threshold. Aaaaaaand I'm over. According to Word, I was at 1961, but the website says I'm way above it. Guess I lost that fight.

As always, be sure to enjoy!


	6. Earthly Tether

(A/N) This picks up a few weeks after the last chapter. I'm not going to be able to do a chapter a day anymore, so I'm going to try to churn out one every few days or so. It's more than likely going to come in bursts though, with some getting released quickly then a short break. I'm back in class at college, so it's all based on how much free time I have. Anyway, enjoy!

* * *

Even though he was nowhere close to becoming a master, Sokka loved showing off his newfound skills with his "space sword". When Sokka was off with Master Piandao, Trey had purchased a staff. He didn't want to buy any weapon, but Katara repeatedly reminded him that he needed some way to protect himself. The staff had metal caps at either end, giving it some heft for when he needed to hurt somebody, but it wouldn't kill or severely maim.

Despite the fact that Trey was completely untrained with his new weapon, Sokka constantly barraged him with sparring challenges. And on this quiet morning, Trey had finally decided to give in and face Sokka. He had been studying the way Sokka trained with his sword, and he was confident that he could sneak in a hit or two before he lost.

Sokka attacked first, letting loose a couple small jabs. He was trying to get a feel for his opponent. Trey easily blocked them. His goal was to hide the sheer range of the staff, and eventually surprise Sokka with it. The staff was easily five feet long, but he figured that Sokka wouldn't remember that during a spar.

Sokka jabbed a few more times, then swung into action. He took a step forward with his right foot, as if he was going to slash his sword around and across Trey from the right, but then he dropped his shoulder and rammed into Trey. Trey was prepared for the slash, but the tackle surprised him, and he stumbled backwards. Sokka saw his advantage, and continued pushing forward, repeatedly slashing and swiping. Eventually, Sokka planted his feet and swung his sword hard at Trey's head. Trey raised his staff up to block, but he wasn't ready for the sheer velocity of the sword. It crashed into his staff, which in turn smashed into Trey's head, right where he was punched a few weeks earlier. Trey was out cold before his nerve endings could even process the pain.

* * *

Trey opened his eyes to a purple sky. Not blue, or grey, or black, but bright, vibrant purple. He clenched his hands around what felt like the most luscious grass he had ever felt. He turned his head and saw that it was, in fact, grass that he was touching. It was a yellowish-green color, and it stretched on as far as the eye could see. He rolled over into a push-up position to try and get back up, but he froze. His hands didn't look… right. They were semi-transparent, and tinted blue. He thought aloud, "I must be in the spirit world somehow!"

"You are not in the spirit world, young one."

Trey heard a deep, ominous voice speaking behind him. Trey leapt in surprise, but then he turned to face the mysterious voice. At first, a blinding white light was all that was there, but after a few heartbeats, and old man walked out of the light. He reminded Trey of Avatar Roku. He was clearly old, but definitely not frail. He had a wise, trustworthy face, but sharp, ageless eyes.

Trey expected the mysterious figure to speak, but as the silence continued, he decided to ask the obvious question.

"If this isn't the spirit world, then what is it? Am I, well, dead or something?"

The man (or whatever he really was) shook his head.

"You are in a place known as The Void."

Trey gulped. He didn't know what The Void was, but judging from the ominous name, it wasn't a good place to be.

"What is The Void?"

"The Void is a realm that exists in between all other worlds. It is the buffer that keeps the worlds separate and safe."

Trey nervously nodded. He obviously knew that somehow, there were at least two different worlds, or dimensions, or whatever they were, and it made sense that there was a buffer separating them. But why was he here now, and how did he cross that buffer in the first place?

"Why am I here?"

"You are here because I need to talk to you. I only exist within The Void, and while my reach extends infinitely, I can only directly communicate with those in The Void."

At this point, Trey didn't know how to feel. Part of him was hopeful that he might finally get some information on what exactly caused him to wake up in a supposedly fictional world. But the other part of him almost didn't want to know. He might miss his old life sometimes, but he liked his new life. It was exciting, and he was working with his friends to essentially save the world. His life mattered now, and while that had a ton of drawbacks, he didn't think he could ever go back to being an average worker drone like he was originally destined to become.

Still, Trey decided that he needed to press forward with questions. The mysterious man clearly wouldn't explain anything unless directly prompted, and Trey needed to do, well, something.

"How did I get here?"

"You have a peculiar spirit." He hesitated. "You know that the Avatar can enter the Spirit World in spirit form with ease, while very few others even possess the potential to enter the Spirit World after lifetimes of dedication and practice."

Trey nodded, and the man continued.

"You are similar to the Avatar in that respect. You can disconnect your spirit and body with a rare ease. It is easiest to utilize this ability when you are unconscious, as you were after your injury. Something was trying to pull your spirit into the Spirit World, so the disconnect was already made. I merely pulled you here first."

"Who are you?"

"I am called many names, but you may call me The Shaman. I am responsible for keeping balance between the worlds."

"So you're, uh, God?"

"If you mean that I am a unique being with infinite power, then no. There are many similar to me, all with different goals and responsibilities. However, my job is the most critical. If the worlds are out of balance, then nothing else matters."

Trey paused for a moment to think. This god-that-wasn't-a-god was clearly powerful, and he almost certainly had something to do with Trey's great switcheroo. He could sit here for hours and try to predict the eventual result of this "talk" they were about to have, but it wasn't worth it. Clearly The Shaman could do whatever he wanted anyway, so he might as well start the conversation now.

"So what do we need to talk about?"

"No mortal has ever done what you did. You have existed in multiple worlds, not only as a spirit, but as a whole being. Have you ever questioned why?"

Trey nodded with an exasperated look on his face. Of course he had thought about it. How couldn't he have?

The Shaman smirked.

"I cannot give you all of the answers in which you seek. I can say, however, that what happened was no coincidence. You are where you are for a reason."

Trey's mind was reeling. He had so many questions that he didn't even know where to begin. Finally, he settled on one.

"Why do I keep on doing things that I shouldn't be able to do?" Trey nearly slapped himself in the face immediately after asking the question. He wanted to know why he was magically able to fight well and pull off some crazy acrobatic dance moves, but he had turned that question into a mishmash of vagueness. Fortunately, The Shaman understood what he was trying to say.

"The reason must remain a mystery for now, but the spirit you talk to after you leave here will have some answers for you."

"Why did you call me here if you're just telling me that, well, you can't tell me anything?"

The Shaman laughed.

"I understand your confusion. The future holds many interactions for us, so I wanted to introduce myself."

"You did this for an introduction?" Trey was nearly yelling at this point.

"Not entirely. You needed to realize that this all wasn't just a miracle or coincidence. You don't have a free pass on life now. You still need to find your own destiny, and I can safely tell you that it is greater than you could ever expect."

With that, The Shaman began walking back into the light. Actually, walking was the wrong word. The Shaman still faced Trey, and his legs weren't moving. So he was gliding backwards into the light.

Right before he disappeared, The Shaman spoke.

"As soon as I disappear, you will find yourself in the Spriit World. Seek the knowledge that you wish to gain. You may not the find the answers you seek, but you will find the information that you need."

* * *

(A/N) This chapter came out clunky, but there's lots of cool stuff being introduced, so I had to force my way through. Personally, I feel like the quality of my writing has dipped a bit, mostly because I'm bad at introducing my own big plot lines. It should pick back up once I'm done with this exposition though, and my absolute favorite chapter idea is coming soon, so be ready. Also, I am very new to writing, so please let me know what I can do to improve.


	7. In Transition

(A/N) This picks up at the end of the Book 3 episode "The Avatar and the Firelord".

* * *

Zuko was confused. It was usually a rare feeling for the brooding teenager, but it had become central to his life over the past few months. Ever since he first spotted the Avatar in the Southern Water Tribe…

As he walked over to the palace dungeon, his confusion slowly began to boil into frustration, which in turn became anger. Why did everything have to be cryptic? Why couldn't things just make sense, like they always used to? Zuko tried to think back to a time when things actually did make sense, but as he watched the memories playing back through his head, his hand instinctively moved towards his scar. All of the memories, every single one, took place before… it had happened. His mother was almost always there, but it wasn't just that. His sister had still been, well, bitchy, but she actually showed emotion. Mai and Ty Lee were usually there, doing their things. But the one common absence was his father. He wasn't in a single one of Zuko's fond memories.

Zuko shook his head as he entered the dungeon. He needed to focus on the task at hand. Zuko found the cell he was looking for, knowing it by heart at this point, and entered. The door slammed behind him.

Zuko glared at the prisoner. The man in the cell was seemingly a shadow of his old self. Gone were the wrinkles at the corner of his mouth, caused by the man's near perpetual smile, replaced by, well, normal old wrinkles. His hair was greasy and unkempt, and he didn't react in any way to his new guest.

"You sent this, didn't you? I found the secret history. Which, by the way should be renamed "the history most people already know." The note said that I needed to know about my great-grandfather's death, but he was still alive in the end."

A moment passed, and the old man still showed no sign of recognizing Zuko's presence. Finally, right as Zuko was about to scream in frustration, Iroh looked up at his nephew.

"No, he wasn't."

Now, Zuko was genuinely confused. His uncle had always been a very knowledgeable man, and he certainly wasn't a liar. So what the hell was he talking about?

"What are you talking about?"

"You have more than one great-grandfather, Prince Zuko. Sozin was your father's grandfather. Your mother's grandfather was Avatar Roku."

Zuko was shocked. He was related to the Avatar? Well, kind of, in a weird, spiritual way. But why did this matter? It only meant that he was even more of a disappointment with his firebending abilities.

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Because understanding the struggle between your two great-grandfathers, can help you better understand the battle within yourself. Evil and good are always at war inside you, Zuko. It is your nature, your legacy. But there is a bright side. What happened generations ago can be resolved now... by you. Because of your legacy, you alone can cleanse the sins of our family and the fire nation. Born in you, along with all this strife, is the power to restore balance to the world."

Iroh reached over and removed a brick from his wall, revealing a small pouch. He handed it to Zuko.

"This is a royal artifact. It's supposed to be worn by the crown prince."

Zuko opened the pouch. It held a gold crown-like artifact, supposed to be worn over a top knot. Both of them just stood there for a while. Zuko was trying to process what had just happened, and Iroh was wondering whether to continue pushing his beloved nephew.

Just as Zuko was about to walk away, Iroh spoke up.

"Nephew, look inside yourself. I once told you to look inward, and seek your own destiny. Do that now. The spirits… they are not calm. This war needs to come to an end, and YOU have the ability to do it. You have the opportunity to right the wrongs of our nation."

"But how, Uncle?"

Iroh grimly looked Zuko in the eye.

"That is something you must figure out on your own. But I know that you can do it. You have struggled, fought, and lost, more than any soul should ever dream of, and yet you still keep going. That is who you are. That is what you are. No matter what happens, you keep on going."

Iroh reached into the hole in his wall and pulled out a small, ceramic object. He handed it to Zuko.

"I must remain here, but you can still find allies in every corner of the world."

Zuko looked down at the white lotus tile in his hand.

"Come with me, Uncle. I need your help, your guidance." Zuko was nearly in tears at this point.

Iroh shook his head.

"It is not my time, Prince Zuko. I have my own plans. You need to go now if you want to evade the palace guard."

"But Uncle…"

"GO! Goodbye, my nephew. We will see each other soon."

* * *

Aang's eyes fluttered open while the moon was still high in the sky. He looked at the dying embers of their campfire and saw that the entire group had fallen asleep around the campfire. He tried sitting up but he felt a warm weight on his left arm and chest. He looked to see what it was and was met by a mass of chocolate brown hair. He softly chuckled and enjoyed Katara's closeness for a while. As the sun started to rise, he decided that it was time to get moving, and he tried to get up without waking Katara up. He failed, miserably, as Katara began stirring before he had moved more than a finger.

Katara looked over at Aang and blushed heavily. Aang shot straight out from under her and started nervously bumbling.

"I…uh…we….uh, I'm gonna go check on Trey."

Happy with his smooth getaway, he went to find Trey's tent. He walked in and saw that Trey was still breathing. Aang wasn't exactly a doctor, so he didn't know what else he could do. He plopped himself on the ground in frustration.

His friend had now been unconscious twice from head injuries in the past few weeks, and Aang was genuinely worried. If only Sokka hadn't been so obnoxious about sparring…

No, Aang couldn't blame Sokka. It was an accident, pure and simple. Still, it had been 4 days, and Trey hadn't shown any signs of waking up. He didn't know what to do, so, like any good monk, he began to meditate.

After a few moments, he connected with Avatar Roku.

"Avatar Roku, I, uh, wasn't expecting to talk to you."

"I know Aang. I wanted to speak with you. Your friend is now in the Spirit World, and he's going to need your help."

Roku began fading away.

"But Roku, how will I find him?"

"You will find a way, Aang."

* * *

Trey found himself in a cave. He didn't remember how he got there, but it somehow felt… familiar. He couldn't tell which way would lead him out, so he picked a direction and started walking. After a few minutes, Trey heard a clicking sound, almost like a ton of legs pattering on a wet sidewalk. Suddenly, he knew exactly where he was, and he was terrified.

"Now you aren't supposed to be here. Well, you're not really supposed to be anywhere, so I guess I can't be surprised. Either way, your face would be a wonderful addition to my collection."

Trey gulped and did his best to clear his face of all emotion.

"Hello, Koh."

* * *

(A/N) Ooooooohhh a cliffhanger. Fun! Anyway, this was a pretty short chapter, but a whole lot of, err, stuff happened, and I think it turned out pretty well. I apologize if there were any glaring grammatical errors, by the way. I did my best to proof read this, but I am still hungover from last night, and I only got about two and a half hours of sleep to begin with. Other than that, enjoy, and be sure to review!


	8. The Spirit World

(A/N) I know, it's been a while. Life happens. Anyway, I'm gonna be alternating between this story and my new story, A Burnt World. Thanks to some wonderful help from 3H, I'm going to rework the first couple chapters of that, but for now, here's some new words and stuff.

* * *

Trey couldn't move. Well, actually, he was constantly moving. He was shaking uncontrollably, doing his best to control his emotion as the stuff of nightmares appeared before him. But he couldn't move his feet. Those felt like they were stuck in pools of concrete.

"Like I said before, young one, your face would make a wonderful addition to my collection, but I don't plan on stealing it today. In fact, I probably could've taken it a half dozen times in the few seconds we've been standing here. Relax yourself. I can't have you too terrified to speak."

Trey did his best to remember the Koh from the show. He always seemed evil, but he never actually did anything outright malicious. He was just, well, Koh. If you showed emotion, you were as good as dead, but otherwise, he actually helped Aang.

Trey weighed his options. After a moment, it became clear. He had to trust the crazy centipede thing. Besides, if the spirits, or The Shaman, wanted him to die in this cave today, they would've gone through way too much trouble for it.

Trey took a deep breath and nodded.

"The Shaman said that you would be able to give me some answers."

Koh chuckled.

"How can I give you answers to questions that haven't been asked?"

Trey groaned inwardly. He had conducted far too many of these "interviews" recently.

"So, who am I?"

"You are William Wesley Wright, a boy from a small town outside of Philadelphia, wherever that is in your strange home land."

Trey was about to sarcastically thank the surprisingly snarky spirit, but he was interrupted.

"And you are a Kosa."

Trey raised his eyebrow at this new tidbit of information.

"What's a Kosa?"

"It's too complicated for you to understand completely, but I will do my best. Thankfully, The Shaman gifted me with some of your memories, to help me explain things to you a little better."

"He can do that?" Trey was more than a little worried that the strange god-like acquaintance of his had that kind of power.

"Yes. He can. Basically, a Kosa is what we call the product of the dying sacrifice of one of the Nameless. Nameless generally aren't supposed to die, so when they do, special things tend to happen. As they die, their spirit passes through all of the worlds that they had touched during their lifetime, picking up some of the essences of the lives they had affected. If they choose to, they can continue touring these worlds, living on infinitely as powerless observers, watching time and space as if it was a movie in a cinema. But, very rarely, a Nameless will decide to merge with the spirit of a mortal. This completely kills the Nameless, and the merge lasts an infinitely small length of time, but sometimes, some small essences and memories that the Nameless possessed or had picked up pass into the mortal. That is why you sometimes do things that you do not expect. Because, deep in your spirit, there are pockets of you that have done it before."

"So, you're saying that I'm not, well, me anymore?"

"No, you are still William Wesley Wright. Your decisions, thoughts, and actions will always be yours. Think of it like that weird TV show you used to watch. Chuck, I think it was called. It's like you have an Intersect, but instead of it being a computer, it's just a bunch of instincts and memories that you can choose to act on, if they present themselves."

Trey nodded. Even though it sounded crazy, it made sense. Well, not really. But it was starting to connect some of the strange dots in his life.

"What are the Nameless?"

"They are beings like The Shaman. Surely, he told you that he is not the only one of his kind."

Trey thought back to his conversation with the God-ish thing, and The Shaman had indeed mentioned that he was not unique.

"So, which Nameless did its thing to me?"

"Ah, that is for you to learn, if you even want to. I honestly do not know, but I would not tell you, even if I did."

"Why not?"

"Think about it. What if the Nameless that merged with you was weak? Or evil? Would you really want to know? Would you want those memories clicking into place? I fear that you will learn this, whether you want to or not, but the knowledge will not come from me."

"Why are you acting so, err, benevolent? I thought that you were some crazy, evil spirit thing?"

Koh laughed loudly.

"I am not good, or evil. I simply am. I know many things, I steal faces, and I live in a cave. Oh, and I am very old. Spirits have no perception of good or evil, though some, like myself, understand them through learned knowledge. We simply are what we are, and we do what we do."

Trey was about to continue his barrage of questions, but Koh cut him off.

"Now, I fear, I must be serious and concise. Something is happening to time and space. Destinies are changing, and things are shifting. It cannot be a coincidence that a Kosa appeared."

"Why is that so important? If there are a ton of these Nameless, then there must have been a ton of Kosa."

"You have no idea how wrong you are. There have been two Kosa before you. One saved the universe, and one died trying to destroy it. You will undoubtedly someday hold an incredible weight on your shoulders, and your actions will hold widespread consequences."

"How is that possible? I'm not some super powerful… thing. I'm a dude who got lucky in a few fights."

"I know nothing of your potential, other than the fact that it is astronomical." Koh glanced around the cave. "I must go now. Somebody is coming for you, and I doubt that my presence would be appreciated."

With that, Koh scurried off, and Trey was left alone and confused.

* * *

Aang was past worrying. He was in an absolute panic. For 3 days now, he had been trying to access the Spirit World, but every time he reached the necessary spiritual state, a spasm of pain shot through the gnarly scar on his back and he was jolted out of focus.

"Guys, I can't do it. I can't save Trey."

Tears were beginning to leak out of his eyes. It seemed like every single time the Avatar needed to step up, Aang had failed miserably. He had failed to save his own people, he had failed to save Ba Sing Se, and now he couldn't even save his friend.

Katara walked up to Aang and put her hand on his shoulder. Momo jumped onto his other shoulder and began to nuzzle his cheek. Toph began to walk over, making to rare decision to try and emotionally help Aang, but Sokka began walking the other way, out toward the edge of the clearing.

He reached the treeline, and screamed in frustration, punching a particularly sturdy tree with all of his guilt and fury. It was his fault that Trey was in this state, and he was powerless to help.

* * *

Iroh was taking a rare break from his secret prison room training. While he trusted that Zuko would eventually succeed in bringing balance to the world, Iroh knew that it was pointless for him to sit idly in a cell. He needed to get out, and he knew what he had to do.

Iroh leaned back on his moldy cot, taking in the incredible solitude of high security prison life. After a few moments, he leaned over and pulled out one of the many bricks he had loosened. He reached in and found what he was looking for. He laid back onto his cot, holding the item close to his heart. In his hand, he held Lu Ten's old prince's crown, a near perfect copy of the royal artifact that he had recently given to Zuko. He began humming the folk tune that constantly played in his head, wishing that his soldier boy had marched himself home.

After a long period of time, Iroh sat up. He needed to stop wallowing in the past. His son was gone, but he still had family that needed to be looked after. He began wrapping the crown back up, but something stopped him. The crown felt… warm. He placed the crown onto his cot, wondering what was happening. Suddenly, the crown began to glow, and Iroh's wondering ceased. He knew exactly what was happening, as it had happened to him before. Unlike the tears that came with the crown's last glow, the tears that were falling now were tears of joy.

Zuko had found the clues that the White Lotus had spent so much time hiding. He had finally done it.

* * *

(A/N) So, I really am sorry about the long wait for this chapter. Between college courses and 40 hours or working a week, I've had very little time. Oh, and the time that I had scraped together? Well, let's just say that sports writing takes up a lot of time.

So, in this chapter, we got more exposition on Trey's situation. He's a Kosa (Japanese for Intersect, I believe). Stuff is going to get a lot more normal soon, I promise, but I need to set everything up. It takes time (and a whole lot of clunky exposition).

Did you guys enjoy? Are you overly confused? Somewhere in between? Or do you have a suggestion for the story? Please please please let me know what you think in the reviews. I promise, I don't bite.


	9. A Great-Grandfather's Gift

Trey plopped himself on the floor of the cave and weighed the possibilities. Who was this "somebody" that was coming? Was it somebody he knew? Another crazy spirit-god who would tell him he was Superman? Hell, he half-expected intro music to start playing whenever this person appeared. JOHN CENA! Maybe Thunderstruck or something. Oh, how Trey missed AC/DC. His new life had a lot of advantages over his old one, but music was not one of them. One could only take so many folk songs before wanting to bash their head into a rock…

By the time a faint glow and the sound of footsteps became apparent, Trey's thoughts had somehow shifted to wondering whether Aang could beat Naruto in a fight. A loud thunk, followed by some loud cursing, broke him out of his mental ramblings.

Well, whoever was coming was now there, and apparently very angry. And possibly clumsy. Trey retreated into his little corner, deciding to see who exactly this person was before confronting him. Or her. Or it. Whatever.

A high-pitched voice broke the silence.

"Didn't Roku tell you to be careful? You seem to have at least one good eye. Use it."

Trey could almost feel the glare being sent to that squeaky, almost cartoony voice.

"If I could bend here… Remind me why the previous Avatar sent you with me?"

Trey recognized that voice somehow.

"Because your great-granddaddy cares about you. And how exactly would you find anything in this cave without my incredible glowing powers?"

The familiar voice growled at that, and Trey crossed his fingers and decided to stand up and reveal himself.

"Hello? Who's there?" Trey called out into the cave. His eyes were blinded by the glow, and as his eyes adjusted, he saw a form sprinting toward him. A form with a scarred face. Unfortunately, before he could process that, he fell into blackness. Again. It seemed to be a really common thing with him.

* * *

"So you saw something strange, and you're default reaction is to knock it unconscious?"

Zuko growled again.

"I know that they say that firebenders are animals, but I didn't know that it would be taken this literally.'

"Can you shut up already? Let's just keep moving. This kid will wake up soon anyway. We need to find this treasure that Roku spoke of."

Ryo had roamed the Spirit World for all of eternity, experienced all of time, and he was still incredulous at Zuko's stupidity.

"THIS IS THE TREASURE YOU IDIOT HUMAN!"

Zuko looked back and forth, from the talking, glowing orb to the unconscious boy laying on the ground, slowly piecing it together.

"Goddammit."

From the moment that his uncle had given him that stupid heirloom, his life had gone from complicated to just plain absurd. Just as he was told, Zuko found his uncle's White Lotus connections. They told him to visit some Guru in the mountains, to learn the art of meditation, but all that old geezer did was tell him to calm down and drink his nasty onion-banana concoction. It was the dragons that he found in the Sun Temple ruins that truly taught him to meditate. Too well, in fact.

It happened almost instantly. He was meditating after his judgement from Ran and Shao. From the very start, it felt weird. He could feel the Sun, the heat on his back, the light giving life to the world around him. He felt the heat inside, burning food to provide energy to his body. He felt his chi, flowing like magma through a trench, not only through himself, but through the world around him. Then, he felt something pulling on him. He gave into that pull.

As it turned out, it was the Avatar Spirit that was pulling on him, and it pulled him into the Spirit World. It took the form of Roku, and told him to find a treasure in Koh's cave that would help bring balance to the world. Roku also told Zuko about the current Avatar's inability to access the Avatar Spirit. And, in true grandfather fashion, he gave Zuko an annoying gift, in the form of a spirit named Ryo that was supposed to help guide him on his journey.

Now, he had found this treasure, and attacked it. Yup, spirit Zuko was still the same ole Zuzu.

Ryo thankfully stopped harassing Zuko over his mistake, and instructed him to carry the boy out of the cave. Ryo lead them to a pink hot spring pool.

"If you and the boy jump into the pool with clear minds, you'll be sent back to your world. Considering he's unconscious, I think he'll be fine."

Zuko frowned. "What happens if my mind isn't clear?"

The orb somehow smirked at him. "Then, well, it's just like jumping into a pool. Just a very hot one. Good luck!"

With that, the orb disappeared. Zuko took a deep breath and did his best to clear his head. With a clenching of his fist, he jumped into the pool, boy on back, and…

Land on solid ground. In the middle of a campsite. He took a second to look around, and saw a pair of very blue, very surprised, and very angry eyes looking at him. Of course it had to be her. Literally, anybody else in the world would have been preferable. Even Ozai. Hell, maybe even Azula. At least it wouldn't be this… awkward? Was that even the right word?

Zuko immediately shot his hands up into the air, attempting to show that he was here in peace, but in doing so, he harshly dropped the boy on his back to the ground. He moved to pick him up again, but was frozen by the icy words of his spectator.

Giving him her harshest glare, Katara menacingly spoke.

"Don't move."

* * *

(A/N) It's been a little while. Ok, maybe a long while. I've actually had plenty of time to write recently. I just couldn't get past this epic writer's block that I've had in all of my stories. This chapter probably wasn't the best, but I just had to force my way through it. Now that it's done, the next few chapters should probably be back up to normal quality.

Basically, screw writer's block. Lemme know what you guys think though. Do you like the direction that the story is heading in? Can you even tell what direction the story is heading in? Tell me in the reviews, or by PM. Thanks for reading!


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